Breakdown of Vi beder jer om at spænde sikkerhedsselen og ikke at distrahere chaufføren.
og
and
vi
we
ikke
not
jer
you (pl)
Questions & Answers about Vi beder jer om at spænde sikkerhedsselen og ikke at distrahere chaufføren.
Why is ikke placed before at distrahere instead of after it?
In Danish infinitive phrases, the negation word ikke (not) must be placed directly before the infinitive marker at (to). So 'not to distract' translates to ikke at distrahere. This is a strict rule that differs from normal main clauses, where ikke usually comes after the conjugated verb.
Why do we need the word om here? Can we just say Vi beder jer at spænde...?
No, you cannot skip om here. When the verb at bede (to ask or request) is used to tell someone to do something, Danish requires the preposition om. The fixed structure is at bede nogen om at gøre noget (to ask someone to do something).
How is the word sikkerhedsselen put together?
It is a compound noun made of sikkerhed (safety) and selen (the belt), glued together with a linking -s-. Because it ends in the suffix -en, it is in the definite form, meaning 'the seatbelt' rather than just 'a seatbelt'.
Why does the sentence use jer instead of dig?
jer is the plural object form of 'you'. The speaker is addressing multiple people, such as a group of passengers on a bus. If they were speaking to only one person, they would use the singular object form dig.